God's Grace

The Big Question: If God Knows All, Why Pray?

Elena Tafone

If God knows each and every one of us, sometimes better than we know ourselves, what is the purpose of prayer? As God says in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” He knows our every thought and desire. He knows what we want and what we need—even if we don’t yet know it ourselves. So, if God knows all, why pray? Spiritually sage people, from pastors to philosophers, offer their own answers to this question.

A silhouette of a man praying outdoors against a colorful sunset. — Credit: Getty Images

1 ^{of 10} Author Catherine Marshall

“God insists that we ask, not because He needs to know our situation, but because we need the spiritual discipline of asking.”

2 ^{of 10} Paul Rezkalla, philosophy professor at Florida State University

“A mother can bake a cake on her own, but she delights in having her children get on the counter with her and read out the recipe as they hand her eggs, flour, and sugar. In the same way, God calls us to pray because He delights in enlisting us to help bring about His purposes for creation.

Philip Yancey, author of Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?

“Three times God commanded Jeremiah to stop praying. God wanted no alteration in his plans to punish a rebellious nation. Prayer had, after all, softened God’s resolve before.”

A mountain being reflected onto a lake. — Credit: Getty Images

6 ^{of 10} Oswald Chambers, Scottish preacher

“The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have perfect and complete oneness with Him.”

A person with arms outstretched towards the sky as daylight breaks. — Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

7 ^{of 10} Dr. Jim Denison, author

“Praying positions us to receive what grace wants to give. When I pray to God, I’m not informing him, I’m talking with him. And, when I’m talking with him, I’m putting myself in the positions to receive what he has to give.”

Melanie Redd, author of Stepping Closer to the Savior

“When I answer the phone and it’s one of my children calling, my heart beats a little faster. They’re both incredibly busy, so I love getting calls from them. Our God is much the same way. When we make time for Him and call on Him, He loves it! Our voices and our prayers are a sweet sound in His ears.”

10 ^{of 10} Saint John Chrysostom

“Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness.”

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